What can fundraisers do to increase our chances of securing large, multi-year donations from trusts and charitable foundations? Rob was delighted to talk to Caroline Danks, a wise fundraiser with 20 years’ experience of working with Trusts and Foundations. In the last two years, three different charities she’s worked with have received six-figure, multi-year grants. Caroline noticed a clear pattern across all three examples. Caroline and Rob discuss the four factors common to all three successes...
Mar 12, 2024•36 min•Ep. 151
One greatly under-estimated tool for building relationships with potential funders, corporate partners and major donors, is LinkedIn. But what’s the most effective approach? Rob was delighted to talk to fundraising and LinkedIn expert Michelle Benson. After many years as a fundraiser and grant giver, Michelle has found that most fundraisers are failing to make the most of this potent tool for success in major donor / trusts / corporate partnerships fundraising. Michelle and Rob discuss an approa...
Feb 26, 2024•38 min•Ep. 150
There are plenty of factors that make fundraising difficult at the moment. Whether it’s the cost of living crisis, the pace of change, the sense of political chaos, shorter attention spans etc…it’s true that connecting with people who care about your cause can feel harder than ever. So what can we do to defy the odds and achieve great fundraising results, in spite of the challenges? For clear answers and encouragement, Rob was delighted to talk to best-selling author and marketing expert, Grant ...
Feb 13, 2024•41 min•Ep. 149
Is silo working inevitable in charities? Or is it possible to create a culture where it’s the norm for the different teams to proactively help each other, so that efforts combine to make a bigger difference? This is the second part of Rob’s interview about integrated working with the brilliant Joe Jenkins. They build on the Team of Teams concept from Part 1, and the amazing difference it makes to both results and trust between teams. Joe shares how one charity applied these ideas in three import...
Feb 04, 2024•38 min•Ep. 148
One of the biggest sources of stress for people working in charities is conflict between teams. Many find that however committed they are, and however hard they work, the default structure and culture often hamper genuine cooperation and progress toward a common goal. Given how difficult this problem can be, Rob was thrilled to talk to Joe Jenkins, who has given more thought and energy to solving it than anyone he has interviewed. Joe shares what happened when he worked for Friends of the Earth ...
Jan 23, 2024•40 min•Ep. 147
Rob is again joined by Bright Spot colleague and fellow fundraising trainer Ben Swart to talk about some of the episodes that most inspired us in 2023. Our discussion of fundraising ideas and examples includes: how to ace your event or media appeal (ie what content makes all the difference to results); ways to beat the Curse of Knowledge – and how one charity did this to raise five times more than the average through their appeal; ideas to help you succeed in spite of very competitive trust appl...
Jan 16, 2024•34 min•Ep. 146
If you’d like practical lessons and a bunch of encouraging stories from our fundraising podcast in 2023, or you’d like tips on what to listen to next, we recorded this special episode for you! Rob is joined by Bright Spot colleague and fellow fundraising trainer Ben Swart for this round up of our podcasting year. They pull out key insights from some episodes they’ve found most inspiring to listen to, including: tactics for corporate fundraisers to win multiple partnerships; ideas to further your...
Jan 02, 2024•37 min•Ep. 145
This time we’re looking at capital campaigns and appeals, and in particular how to make them work if the charity you work for is relatively small. Successful appeals are not an easy undertaking for any charity, but there are at least examples of various famous appeals by well-known charities in books about fundraising. Given how many smaller charities need to raise an extra injection of funding for an important new project, I wanted to share a story from a fundraiser who has managed a successful...
Dec 18, 2023•39 min•Ep. 144
Just occasionally we (hopefully) have a bigger opportunity to reach more people and raise money. Whether it’s being chosen for a media appeal that reaches thousands or millions; or the chance to tell your charity story at an event in front of hundreds of people…there are a few moments when the fundraising rewards can be HUGE…if we get it right. So what can you do to maximise the potential of these valuable opportunities? For shrewd insights and examples, Rob was thrilled to interview Sally Flatm...
Nov 30, 2023•34 min•Ep. 143
Changes in technology over the last three decades mean our supporters’ now have less time, and more demands on their attention, than at any point in history. This makes it tougher than ever to deepen relationships with people who care about our cause. In this environment, what can we do to create effective marketing and communications? To better understand the issues, Rob was delighted to talk to best-selling author and marketing expert, Grant Leboff. Grant routinely advises both companies and c...
Nov 16, 2023•37 min•Ep. 142
Many charities see the advantages of creating strategic, long-term partnerships with companies, rather than applying for those intensely competitive Charity of the Year partnerships. But how do you initially approach companies where there is a good fit? Even after you get that first meeting, how do you inspire them to want to partner? And how do you solve the challenges in bringing your two organisations together to achieve something that works really well for both parties? It’s not easy, but it...
Oct 24, 2023•35 min•Ep. 141
Some types of cause are less popular than others. If your charity is relatively less attractive to many people, what can you do to raise funds successfully? Rob talks to the experienced major gift fundraiser, Sarah Jane O’Neill, about things you can do to raise funds in spite of the challenges, whatever cause you serve. They share tips, practical tactics and examples of how fundraisers have overcome the difficulties of being less popular. And Sarah Jane shares top line findings from her new thes...
Oct 19, 2023•33 min•Ep. 140
What can you do to build warm, generous relationships with High Net Worth individuals who care about your cause? Rob talks to Paul Davies, who at the time worked for an orchestra and charity named Manchester Camerata. Paul explains a range of ideas from the Major Gifts Mastery Programme that he used to transform his results, including: what he focuses on to feel so confident when meeting supporters; how he quadrupled the number of supporters he speaks to each month, to 20 per month; and the amaz...
Oct 09, 2023•26 min•Ep. 139
In just four years, the small UK charity Talk Club has grown rapidly, making an ever bigger difference to the community it serves. There are now 78 talk clubs where men can talk, listen and improve their mental fitness. In this episode Ben Akers (Joint CEO) and Rob Woods discuss the innovative approach that has helped achieve this growth. An important theme is the power of being crystal clear of your outcome and working back from there to decide your tactics. They explore how this increases your...
Sep 25, 2023•31 min•Ep. 138
One of the most difficult challenges for many fundraisers is encouraging colleagues see things from the supporter or partners’ point of view, and to want to do things that would deepen relationships with those supporters and help grow income. And in corporate partnerships fundraising, excellent partnerships are never possible if they’re solely driven by the fundraisers’ hard work. They can only happen if they are genuinely a partnership between two organisations. But with many competing prioriti...
Sep 18, 2023•35 min•Ep. 137
Artificial intelligence / AI is here to stay and it’s transforming the way many sectors do business. In this episode we explore what difference AI is already making to fundraising, and what do we need to be aware of? The very experienced digital fundraiser, Emily Casson gave a fascinating talk at Bright Spot’s summer Breakfast Club for Fundraising Leaders event, and we’re pleased to share her talk here. She spoke about why charities cannot afford to ignore AI. She demonstrated how it can help fu...
Sep 04, 2023•28 min•Ep. 136
In this episode we look at failure, and why embracing it has a powerful effect on your results. To understand this in the context of fundraising and a charity’s effectiveness, I was delighted to talk to Richard Turner, Director of Fundraising at the international development charity, Solar Aid. For many years Richard and his colleagues have been deliberate about the importance of searching for and using the insights that come when things don’t go according to plan. He shares examples of how the ...
Aug 14, 2023•19 min•Ep. 135
If your charity aims to win and grow corporate partnerships, then one important asset is a proposition or first step that’s both easy to understand and genuinely enticing to companies. This isn’t easy, so I was really interested to hear how Laura Webb approached it for Leeds Hospitals Charity. In mid-September 2020, she got inspired by the brilliant Snowflake Appeal at Sheffield Children’s Hospital charity, and with an incredibly short time, she and her colleagues created their own campaign, inv...
Jul 31, 2023•26 min•Ep. 134
The 80/20 Principle states that results will never be evenly distributed. A minority of your donors have the potential to give much more than the majority. Of course, many charities treat major donors differently, but we’ve found that within a file of individual donors giving at lower levels (or event participants), The 80/20 Principle still holds true. If we look for it, this is a wonderful opportunity to better serve your most valuable supporter relationships and grow income. Craig Linton is a...
Jul 16, 2023•31 min•Ep. 133
Corporate partnerships can make a huge impact on not only your fundraising, but also your mission directly. One of the valuable things they often bring is far greater reach to key audiences than a charity would achieve on its own. Clearly this effect is multiplied if you build not one, but many partnerships, and especially if they are all in a category that is relevant to your cause. In this episode Cara Hoofe and Sabrina Nixon talk about Bowel Cancer UK’s #GetOnARoll Campaign, in which most of ...
Jun 28, 2023•32 min•Ep. 132
We spend so much of our life at work, it clearly makes sense that we should aim to make this time rewarding and enjoyable. But how do you deliberately build a happy, successful career? In this episode Rob Woods talks to Liz Tait, Director of Fundraising at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Charity. Liz explains some of the ideas and activities she’s used in developing her career over the last two decades, and which she has found are helpful to share with colleagues. They discuss practical ...
Jun 20, 2023•28 min•Ep. 131
This episode with Dr Claire Routley, an expert in expert legacy fundraising, was recorded in early March 2020, when the world felt very different. Nevertheless, in a time of increased home-working, our subjects of culture change and breaking down inter-team barriers now feel more relevant than ever. So I’m really pleased to share the episode again. We talk about a piece of research Claire carried out on behalf of the National Trust, all about how to increase interest in promoting legacies across...
Jun 06, 2023•28 min•Ep. 130
What can charities do to better attract younger philanthropists to their cause? Many believe this is now an especially important challenge and opportunity. They cite research suggesting that in the next ten years, millennials and generations X and Z are likely to be in a position to make an especially valuable contribution to causes they care about. In Part 2 of Rob’s recent interview with Victoria Roe, she shares more lessons she’s learned in managing UNICEF UK’s approach. The ‘Next Gen’ concep...
May 21, 2023•23 min•Ep. 129
This time we’re exploring how charities can better develop relationships with supporters in their teens, twenties and early thirties. Younger supporters tend to see the world differently to older generations – as charities, how can we respond? Rob speaks to Victoria Roe, a Senior Philanthropy Manager at UNICEF UK about her charities’ ‘Next Gen’ approach. She shares the rationale for why this is an especially valuable opportunity for charities to look at now; examples of success so far; and vario...
May 14, 2023•31 min•Ep. 128
This time we are again exploring ways to thrive and make a difference when you’re in a new fundraising leadership role. Rob talks to Tess Nixon Spiller, who is very experienced at taking on interim leadership roles, and as such has become adept at spotting the opportunities and pre-empting many of the pitfalls when you’re new. In particular we explore ways you can create a culture of self-sufficiency in your team, so that everyone grows more confident in solving problems, and without necessarily...
May 08, 2023•28 min•Ep. 127
To help us survive, the human brain evolved to be very sensitive to threats in the environment. But if we’re not careful, this negativity bias also causes us to focus too much attention on our weaknesses, and at the expense of our strengths. This tendency to can reduce our energy levels and resourcefulness. Rob’s guest for this episode is an expert in helping fundraisers to identify and take advantage of their strengths. Having worked with dozens of fundraising teams, she has found this approach...
Apr 18, 2023•29 min•Ep. 126
How can you increase high value income for your charity? In this episode, Rob Woods talks to Tony Gaston about the strategies he feels contributed to the way EMMS International transformed its high value results so dramatically in five years. He talks about how he manages to pause and see the bigger picture and how this habit has helped him focus on solving the most valuable challenges; what he believes is the most important thing to get right when you meet supporters; and plenty more tips. If y...
Apr 04, 2023•33 min•Ep. 125
This time we’re looking at how to thrive in the first few weeks and months of a new fundraising leadership role. Rob was thrilled to talk to a wise leader named Tess Nixon Spiller, who loves taking on interim leadership roles. In fact, she has done this repeatedly for a range of charities, across various sectors in recent years. By specialising in this way, where she is almost perpetually new, Tess has gained valuable insights about how to be at your best and make a difference when you’re new. T...
Mar 28, 2023•25 min•Ep. 124
Obviously well-known people who share the values of your charity have the potential to make a big difference to your fundraising and mission. But how do you find the influencers who care, and how do you manage these relationships effectively? And how do you maximise the impact? Paul Katz is an expert in this area, with more than 17 years’ experience of helping charities and social cause organisations to work with celebrities and other influencers. He loves to de-mystify the process. Building on ...
Mar 21, 2023•28 min•Ep. 123
If your charity is relatively small or less well known, how do you increase your chances of winning valuable partnerships and media appeals? This time Rob spoke to Beatrice Sayer, a smart corporate fundraiser at the UK charity Magic Breakfast, about the innovative approach she used when applying to the Times and Sunday Times Christmas Appeal 2022. She explains why she feels a ‘WOW moment’ was essential to lift their chances of winning, and how she followed through on her good ideas. Rob and Beat...
Mar 15, 2023•32 min•Ep. 122
